Lovely, lovely lace May 30, 2009

 

Apologies for my lack of blog posts recently, I am up to my eyes doing the PR for The Bristol Design Festival at present but have stolen a moment from work after spotting this fabulous wallpaper created by Lene Toni Kjeld.

 

I am really into lace at the moment, I actually bought some lovely old lace doillies from a charity shop recently, for £1 – bargain! The craftsmanship is fabulous and there is something really grand about putting home-baked goods on a lovely lace doilly – I feel a baking session coming on just thinking about it!!!!

Image found here. This is a trend that is sneaking into interiors in more than one way – so if vintage is not your thing, you can make what is thought of as an old trend bang up to date – for example,  Marcel Wanders’ lace table (above) is a thing of beauty and could hardly be accused of being ‘old fashioned’.

After a poke about on Flickr, I came across the quirky and truly unique style of Dottie Angel whose creative use of lace and other vintage ecoutrements make for some beautiful images. Here are a few of the lacey lovelies she has in her photostream:

Who said tablecloths were for tables?

 

I also really love the use of lace and crochet on her aprons and detailing on this cute wall hanging (above). If you get a chance, check out her excellent blog here.  Very inspiring!

I want! April 14, 2009

(Actually, I bought it today.) I totally fell for this tea towel, yes a simple old dish dryer has me all doe-eyed. I plan to frame it as an interesting piece of art! I had lots of trouble finding it in the UK as it is originally from Ferm Living who only sell wholesale and 95% Danish, the online stockists, don’t sell the tea towel (boo!) Luckily, I managed to track it down here  at a really nice little online shop I hadn’t come across before called Rose & Grey. I shall be visiting there again!

Micro trend: maps February 14, 2009

Maps are p-r-e-t-t-y handy things to have about one’s person, particularly when in an unknown region but what’s even better is that they are fashionable now. Yup, maps are big in interiors, fashion and general fabulous design-type offerings. Perhaps it is something to do with our globalisation obsession, or that travelling is cool, or maybe it’s because people like others to think they are well travelled, and nothing say that more than a big old map on your wall. It’s the stuff of dreams: plotting your sejourns across the globe, imagining what life is like in these strange, foreign lands…

Anyway, I digress. To illustrate this little micro-trend, as I am calling it, I have found some places to source some of the best travel-inspired objects, from fashion to jewellery.

First up is the map bowl above, which can be sourced from Not On The highstreet . Made by Bombus, each one is orginal – and start from around £65.  In fact Bombus does lots of map-inspired goodies like the love heart art  which sells for £25 – totally unique!

 

Or how about this rather lovely pair of earrings I spotted on Etsy. They are  made with recycled silver and snippets of old dictionary text and vintage maps. Created by ‘Foundling’ there are lots of other unusual jewellery offerings available too.

 

I love this map badge too and the best thing is you can choose your own home town and get it made up! Nothing like a bit of patrotism eh?

 

So you get the idea…

However, this rather charmless jacket might be taking the trend j-u-s-t a little tooooooo far…but don’t let that put you off!

 

 

Chair the love – Part three May 23, 2008

 

 

 Phew, that’s nearly it, for now. I just want to add a couple of ladies into the mix.

 

 

Charlotte Perriand was perhaps one of the most influential furniture designers of the early modern movement. She has been credited with bring the industrial age to the world of furniture design and was one of the designers involved in the creation of Le Corbusier’s chaise lounge. She also designed the infamous ‘Stacking Chair’ seen around community centres, bars and bistros the world over.

 

Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish designer, cut her teeth amongst such purveyors of fine design as Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli and now designs such delights as the Fat Sofa for B & B Italia below.

 

 

Shin and Tomoko Azumi

 

Ok, Shin’s a fella, but together with Tomoko, this Japanese twosome have produced some of my favourite all time products (though not all of their creations are furniture) however, I love the way that they ‘zjuj’ up everyday objects, such as lights and salt shakers, with elegance and humour. I find the simplicity of their wire chair inspiring (though perhaps it doesn’t make me want to veg out in front of the telly, more sit uncomfortably and comptemplate the difference between a line and a curve. Hmm.

 

 

Bigging up the Brits

 

Of course I can’t forget my own kind – yes, fab furniture is not just for the Fins, Danes, Germans, Italians, French and Spanish. No siree bob. Us Brits are coming, so hold on to your spanners and bendy bits of plastic…

 

Jasper Morrison is a cheeky cockney designer renowned for his ascetically elegant, quietly humorous style . I am totally digging’ his Cork chair.

 

 

Likewise, I quite fancy sliding my bottom on Ron Arad’s weirdly erotic Voido Rocking Chair– spotted one at Heals. Rather! The architect designer (who is actually Israeli but let’s call him an ‘adoptive’ Brit) is well known for his quirky shapes and use of various materials.

Here’s one more for you: Ross Lovegrove. His Go chair is reminiscent of something you would find Sigourney Weaver straddling in Alien. Almost bone like. But I love it!

There are of course countless designers that have contributed to the richness and diverse products that have gone on to inspire modern design, so this is just a smattering. However, these are my personal faves. Hurrah for chairs!

 

If your appetite has been whetted by my mini-history of chairs, below are a couple of websites worth visiting:

 

http://www.designmuseum.org/exhibitions/online/a-century-of-chairs/1990s

http://www.britishcouncil.org/arts-aad-design-furniture-design-greatbrits2.htm

 

 

 

The Scandi Style Bible March 28, 2008

Oh how I love a good dose of Scandi-chic – it can inject a real calm, streamlined feel to interiors, whether it’s through the simple fabric in pretty red and white check, chic alpine flower prints or bold statement textiles that scream sophisticated style.

Having lived in Holland for a couple of years, I have long loved Dutch designs but more recently I have cast my net further afield and have caught a whole new generataion of Scandi designers that I just have to tell you about. As such, I have taken it upon myself to create a mini guide of designers to watch, places to find these gems and a couple of local haunts to try if you are on the hunt for a dose of Scandi –love (and we’re not talking strapping Swedish hunks in the sauna).

The good, the old and the ones to watch… 

We can’t really talk about Scandinavian design without mentioning  Verner Panton and Arne Jacobsen. Panton, made famous by his chair of the same name, used rich colours and soft lines to create his signature look, while Arne Jacobsen’s striking design and architecture is embodied by his famous Swan chair.

As for the young Scandi upstarts worth keeping an eye on, Sofie Refer and Jacob Staer - are two budding designers that are currently gaining a great deal of press thanks to their jaw-droppingly exquisite lighting accoutrements – in particular their glamorous chandeliers while René Hougaard who goes under the name of Dnmark – is definitley worth noting.

I  have also fallen hook line and sinker for the Lily light by Janne Kytanen and Jiri Evenhuis. This is part of a new collection by Freedom of Creation called Materialise while this quirky Yes/No pillow by Nicolette Brunklaus  is simple yet striking. See her unusual lampshade designs, reminicent of a Dutch Deborah Bowness

     However, we must now move swiftly on to more of the good    stuff:  

As your first port of call in the Scandi design trail, it is worth checking out The Scandinavian Design Centre this website which has a good overview of Scandi design, however, if you are after fabrics with a difference, Finnish company, Skandium, runs its own sumptuous fabrics and daring design shop called Marimekko – a regular haunt for me – the only problem is deciding which fabric to choose from the extensive collection – I defy you not to love them all. Here a re a few of my pickings:

 

 

 

 

 

This Hetkiä fabric with black and grey pattern makes perfect wall candy art. Designed by Maija Louekari, it is very on trend – see my previous post on doodling and illustrations.

Try Unique Interieur for great lamps -

this delicious one, clearly inspired by Panton, looks good enough to eat!Likewise, this happy horse oilcloth, by Susanne Schjerning

   is one of my latest finds, she is a serious contender for my top list of all-time great inspirational designers.

 

While this spring-influenced oilcloth, entitled family tree, by Trine Andersen can be snapped up through Ferm Living (which Trine founded) at around €25 a pop, I reckon it’s a bargain – I expect to have one gracing my kitchen table before too long.

And there’s more…

 

Nordic Style has all sorts from chairs and tables to fabrics and is great if you are looking for a starting point

Filippa and Co - despite a shop closure, they are still up and running and have a host of original pieces of furniture to tempt the pounds out of your purse

Dutch by Design is one of my faves

Absolut Form offers Danish inspired design

95% Danish, is another one worth favouriting – a fantastic cutting-edge Scandi designers’ site

Elias and Grace have the cutest toys for kids in the signature Scandi style

Scandi Living - another good resource with a host of links and info to designer sites

Ferm Living, as mentioned earlier is a veritable smorgasbord of delicious design treats to get your inspiration flowing…

So there you have it (for now). There are of course plenty of other fab places and if you happen to live in the south west then I recommend a visit to ‘Hanzel und Gretel’ on Brock Street in Bath.

Walking into the shop stuffed to bursting with cookoo clocks is the first treat, as well as the hand-crafted Austrian lace and other fripperies but if you go down stairs there is a little grotto type coffee and strudel bar where the Sound of Music plays and the lights twinkle…a secret space worth visiting.

I advise you to favourite these little beauties so if you are ever in need of a serious dose of design, you can get your fix!

 

Birds, bows, blooms and butterflies March 3, 2008

 

Spring is sprung (well practically) and I have been looking about for some inspiration that is on trend for the season but also fantastically feminine and floral. Fortunately, as the title of this post suggests, bows, blooms and butterflies are all HUGE in the world of fashion and interiors this season. If you fancy jazzing up your spring wardrobe with something that is a key piece for Spring, then you can’t go far wrong pinning on a huge corsage – while there are lots dotted about in the high street shops, I have found some good sources – check out VVRouleaux for luxe ribbons and flowers – ok so you may pay a bit more but it will totally be worth it. They also have these pretty boxes of butterflies – another hot fave this season.

Another prettiness you can’t fail to notice are our feathered friends who are appearing on everything from dresses to wallpaper. Dutch by Design have captured the essence with these beautiful bird Salt and Pepper holders designed by Chris Koens and if that wasn’t enough beautiful bird cup set by Bud Design are just too cute.

While Ohs and Bows (see top image) are a great source of ribbons and corsages but as a US company, you will have to pay shipping.

 My advice is to take advantage of this feminine frivoity before sludgy greys and neon brights take over again. Why not nip out with your camera and snap your own inspiring images, after all nature is the originator of most things in fashion and interiors.

A happy, hearty welcome to all magpie-eyed creative crafters February 3, 2008

Welcome to my world!

Calling all crafters who are bored of trawling the net for creative blogs only to find that they are far from it???? Join me as I explore the wonderful world of stitching, craft, arty doodlings and other such fripperies.

I decided to launch this blog to provide a resource for people like me who are magpie-eyed creatives looking for an outlet to swap ideas, websites spotted and loved, tips and tutorials, best places to find buttons, ribbons and fabrics, in the UK or internationally.

If you are working on anything spectacularly wonderful, have seen the latest website or can share any local knowledge, then spill here…

 

Now, go forth and create!!